This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of an extensible, scalable and distributed heterogeneous cluster based programmable router, called DHCR (Distributed Heterogeneous Cluster based Router), capable of supporting and deploying network services at run time. DHCR is a software IP router relying on heterogeneous cluster composed of separated computers with different hardware and software architecture capabilities, running different operating systems and interconnected through a high speed network connection. The DHCR ensures dynamic deployment of services and distributed control of router components (forwarding and routing elements) over heterogeneous system environments. The DHCR combines the IETF ForCES (Forwarding and Control Element Separation) architecture with software component technologies to meet the requirements of the next generation software routers. To ensure reliable and transparent communication between separated, decentralized and heterogeneous router components, the CORBA based middleware technology is used to support the DHCR internal communication. The paper also explores the use of the CORBA Component Model (CCM) to design and implement a modular, distributed and heterogeneous forwarding path for the DHCR router architecture. The CCM based forwarding plane ensures dynamic reconfiguration of the data path topology needed for low-level service deployment. Results on achievable performance using the proposed DHCR router are reported